⇨ SHOW'S OVER

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone who DIDN’T get caught up in CY-Ren’s music, D13-D14.
When: D13-D15
Where: Wismuth, the Carnival
What: Recovering, taking stock, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
Warnings: ? ? ?

FALLEN STARS↴ ► AFTERMATH: After the culmination of the confrontation between Noa and CY-Ren — as much as it can be called one, since it ends with the Guardian being flung off the stage — the arena returns to darkness. After a few seconds of silence, the backup lighting sputters on, but instead of music a loudspeaker begins to blare loudly: ATTENTION, FANTASIA FESTIVAL ATTENDANTS. DUE TO AN EMERGENCY, WE WILL BE EVACUATING THE VENUE. PLEASE FOLLOW STAFF DIRECTIONS AND PROCEED TO THE NEAREST EXIT. THANK YOU. The pleasant, automated woman’s voice begins to play on loop as the concertgoers, snapped out of their trance, look at each other in confusion. The Void creatures that had come out at CY-Ren’s command are nowhere to be seen now, and neither is the singer herself. Wismuth police officers, though they look as uncertain and dazed as half the audience seems to be, break up the crowd and directing them to file out of the Fantasia Festival’s exits. It’s easy enough for Carnival members to slip away, though as they go through the crowd they’ll hear the festivalgoers discussing anything but the sight of Guardian and Harbinger in combat, much less people being dragged into shadows… “Right in the middle of CY-Ren’s set, too! Aren’t they supposed to check the wiring on these things?” “I paid to go to a concert, not a fire drill! I’d better get a refund!” “They didn’t have to shut the whole place down—" In the chaos and flow of people, it’ll be hard for Carnival workers to keep track of each other, but one thing is clear: they can’t stay here. ► HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN: The would-be saboteurs and those who’ve stayed behind have a chance to meet up again once they get back to the Carnival’s grounds. However, what exactly happened back there is unclear — and the one who might have answers is still unconscious from her brief altercation with the Harbinger. Still, there’s no shortage of things to do: after all, once they get back, it’s obvious there are more than a few missing faces. ► HEADLINES: Anyone who ventures to Wismuth in the days after the festival will find something peculiar: all news about the incident at the festival has been written off as a freak fire from some faulty wiring or a potential incendiary device, which reporters say police are ‘investigating the cause of’ and which some of the more sensational news sites are already having a field day with (based on rumors and hearsay the venue may have received a bomb threat). Most entertainment sites and social media coverage of the event only include blurry clips with captions like ‘tmw you fucked up the only vid you have of cy-ren’s concert 😭fml' and generally agree that it's a pity she never got past a second song.

Comments

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

"What?!"

Oh, as if things couldn't get any worse. She doesn't want to believe that it's the same thing with the Prince all over again, but her mind is starting to lean into that direction again. "It... this... if this is one of the Ringmaster's little plans...! I-I mean, I know it couldn't be, but...!"

People kidnapped by an evil figure that seemed good? Yep, she's thinking in that direction.

[hippocarnival]

"Definitely not!" Yuya waves his hands quickly, trying to deflect that thought currently. "I don't think she wanted to get involved, but..." But, well, the carnival is a bunch of bleeding hearts. "But Noa really needed to help. If this is what CY-Ren always does, she has to be hurting a lot of people."

But now people from the carnival were going to suffer for it, so does it really justify their involvement? Could they not have done this a better way? "You know we won't leave them. And--and this time we can stop it from being as bad as the Prince."

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

"We'd better, Yuya. I... I don't want to kill anyone else." Yuzu admitted. That's what probably hurt her the most right there, being forced to hurt her friends.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's shoulders tense and he's frozen for a moment. But just a moment, before he reaches out to pull her into a tight hug, his chin falling over her shoulder.

"We won't." He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Gongenzaka wasn't taken. He's still here with us."

It's an awful memory for Yuya, and he's trying hard not to think about it. It's easy, at least, with the assurance that he was just with Gongenzaka before they were all pushed out of the stadium, after CY-Ren and her monsters already left.

"I won't let anyone disappear, okay?" It's a bigger claim than he should be making, but Yuya's made his resolve up. He doesn't care what he has to do, for as long as they're here he won't lose any of his precious friends. He won't let them by taken from the people waiting for them to go home as well.

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

Yuzu gasped slightly at Yuya hugging her, surprised at this. She does recover, though, accepting the affection and hugging him back.

"No, we won't." Yuzu said, slightly correcting him. She wasn't going to just hang back and let Yuya have all the fun. Where was the fun in that? Besides, she was going to make sure everything went right here.

[hippocarnival]

Of course Yuzu wouldn't hold back when her friends are in danger, too. For both of them, those people were so important. But Yuya's already almost lost her once (twice, no more--) and there's a part of him that doesn't want her to. It isn't fair, and she doesn't know, so he doesn't say it.

But his grip does get a little stronger, squeezing for a second. "Yeah."

It's all he has to say at first, standing there in silence as he tucks those emotions a little deeper. Once he's sure he can, he pulls back just enough to offer her a smile. "I think we need to talk to Noa again."

They were woefully unprepared for just what they were up against. Now they have to be involved, and that means they need a better understanding from Noa. He just hopes she can provide it.